It is known that to supply devices with electrical energy, as individual components and consumers of electrical power in a vehicle such as a military vehicle, a so-called “power ring” is frequently employed. A power ring is a ring conductor that transports output energy and that connects each electrically consuming device with a power generator, which is different from star-shaped electrical connections that can be employed to connect each electricity consuming device (also referred to as an “electrical consumer”) with a generator.
A short circuit in the ring conductor of the conventional power ring has the disadvantage that all electrical consumers connected to the power ring are no longer supplied with electrical power. Consequently, a repair shop is then sought so that the error causing the short circuit in the power ring can be addressed and fixed.
Military vehicles, however, have special requirements and it is an undesirable shortcoming that the internal electrical current supply for all connected devices should fail due to a simple short circuit. Furthermore, repair shops are not always readily available in places where military vehicles may travel. To address this problem, known embodiments of the prior art provide, for example, division of the power ring into individual segments by employing a power-ring controller. Thus, energy consuming devices supplied by the power ring with electrical power are connected to different segments of the power ring. When a short circuit occurs in one segment, only those devices that are connected to this one malfunctioning segment are impaired and fail, while those devices connected to the other isolated segments of the power ring are not affected by the short circuit and continue to be supplied with electrical energy and remain functioning.
In DE 199 16 452 C2 to Joehnke et al., a device is disclosed for a power ring employing a ring conductor in a military vehicle, in order to supply electricity to various devices. This prior art power ring device includes several controllers functioning as oversight and switch devices that are connected along, and to, the ring conductor. The prior art power ring device disclosed by Joehnke et al. also includes additional component devices for the oversight and control of the ring conductor, wherein security is adjusted by means of a number of controlled switches so that ring conductor segments to the left or right of a pick-up controller can be closed or shut off.
After a failure caused by a short circuit in the ring conductor, for example, the power ring is subsequently completely shut off. In other words, a short in any segment of the ring conductor causes the entire power ring to cease conducting power. Subsequently, by means of successive switching, the failing conductor segment is identified and decoupled from the power ring. However, this technique of isolating the failed conductor segment, by systematically testing each segment while the ring conductor is unable to conduct electricity has disadvantages. In particular, it is a disadvantage that the power ring, in a case of electrical failure (i.e., short circuit), must be subsequently shut off completely, thereby interrupting the energy supply to all of the connected electrically consuming devices. In addition, the power ring device disclosed by Joehnke et al. cannot readily locate failures that are sporadic failures. The Joehnke et al. power ring can only localize an electrical failure that persists for a given period of time.